Characterization of Airborne Cat Dander in a Cat Allergen (Fel d1) Exposure Chamber

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Red Maple Trials (Ottawa, ON) created a new facility with several testing rooms, where patients can be**exposed to allergens (pollens and Fel d1 cat allergen). In this facility, the patient's symptoms (with or without**medication intervention) can be monitored in a controlled manner. The company is interested in obtaining more**detailed information regarding the dispersion of allergens (Fel d1 attached to particulate matter, normally cat**dander), and the monitoring of particulate matter and concentration in time, to better control the consistency of**exposure to allergens by the patients during clinical studies. Airborne cat dander concentration, will be**determined in-situ using a TSI Particle Size Distribution analyzer, while airborne Fel d1 levels associated to the**cat dander particles will be collected via an Anderson Cascade Impactor. In parallel, particle samples (extracted**using a Gillian 5000 sampling pump at a steady flow rate) will be collected on a glass fiber filters. The current**project will also provide the feasibility study of performing a cost-effective ELISA assaying of Fel d1. Finally,**numerical simulation of aerosol dispersion in the cat allergen exposure chamber will be performed using**Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for the air (primary flow) and Lagrangian random-walk**models for the particulate phase.